HIGHLIGHTS
USAID/OFDA engineers survey earthquakeaffected structures in Manabí
Relief efforts continue to target severely affected communities in Manabí and Esmeraldas
UASID/OFDA supports emergency health care interventions in earthquake-affected areas
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
The Government of Ecuador (GoE) reports that the April 16 earthquake has resulted in 660 deaths and left approximately 4,600 people injured. The earthquake also damaged or destroyed an estimated 9,740 buildings, including more than 720 schools, as well as electrical, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure. Humanitarian actors, including USAID/OFDA disaster experts, continue to assess damages and identify humanitarian needs in earthquake-affected areas. The casualty and damage estimates are expected to rise as assessments continue.
On April 26, USAID/OFDA disaster experts convened in Manabí Province’s Pedernales town with U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Todd C. Chapman, British Ambassador to Ecuador Patrick Mullee, Canadian Ambassador to Ecuador Marianick Tremblay, and GoE Minister of the Interior José Serrano, as well as humanitarian actors, to assess relief operations and identify additional needs.
Preliminary estimates indicate that more than 22,400 people are sheltering in GOEidentified sites, public spaces, and the private homes of friends and relatives. Figures may increase as assessments continue and spontaneous sites hosting earthquake-affected populations are identified, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
As of April 29, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided nearly $2.9 million for relief efforts in Ecuador. The funding is supporting the provision of emergency food assistance and relief commodities, health care and logistics support, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions, in earthquake-affected areas. USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP staff in Ecuador are assessing the need for additional support. To date, other international donors have contributed approximately $3.2 million in humanitarian funding for Ecuador, according to the UN’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS)